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In a scathing critique of North Carolina’s high crime rates, podcaster Joe Rogan and Elon Musk slammed the state’s process of appointing magistrate judges while pinning blame on the judicial system for the murder of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte commuter train earlier this year, allegedly at the hands of a repeat offender.
While on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Musk and Rogan blasted the state’s judicial appointment standards, while saying the judge presiding over the case had “no law degree or significant legal experience that would allow them to be a judge.”
“You think that if you are going to be appointed as a judge, you have to have proven that you have an excellent knowledge of the law and that you will make your decisions according to the law,” Musk said.
While magistrate judges in North Carolina are appointed to the bench, state law does not require individuals to have law degrees to preside over cases, according to the state’s court system.
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Magistrates typically conduct initial appearances for defendants, while also performing tasks such as setting release conditions for non-capital offenses and issuing arrest warrants.
Zarutska’s case gained national attention after video showed her alleged killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., stabbing her in the neck in an unprovoked attack. Brown has since been charged with first-degree murder.
“Unqualified Magistrate Judges are letting loose dangerous repeat criminals in North Carolina,” Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said in an X post, while sharing a clip from Rogan’s podcast. “Iryna Zarutska’s tragic murder exposed that Democrat judges are putting criminals before victims.”
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In January, Brown – who has been arrested at least 14 times – was released from jail by Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes after signing a written promise that he would appear for his next court date, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
The move enraged both civilians and public officials throughout the country, with questions swirling about Stokes’ qualifications.
“I just think there’s some real concerns that need to be raised in how we get these magistrate [judges] that have the power to put these people back out on the street,” Harris told Fox News Digital.
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Stokes recently came under fire after several viral social media posts questioned her legal qualifications and reported connection to Second Chance Services, a mental health and addiction clinic in Charlotte.
“Wasn’t there a crazy story about the judge who was involved [and] had previously dealt with [Brown], was also invested in a rehabilitation center and was sending people that they were charging to a rehabilitation center instead of putting them in jail,” Rogan said. “Profiting from this rehabilitation center, letting them back out on the street – violent, insane people.”
The North Carolina Courts did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding Stokes’ educational background and alleged involvement with Second Chance Services.
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North Carolina is not the only state that does not require magistrate judges to pass the bar exam before serving in their position, with 32 states allowing judges to serve without a law degree, according to a study by the Columbia Review.
Additionally, the study indicates that 80% of magistrate judges throughout North Carolina do not possess a law degree.
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Following Zarutska’s killing, 10 North Carolina House Republicans penned a letter calling for Stokes to be removed from the bench.
“It is demoralizing for police when they arrest these folks [and] put them in jail,” Harris told Fox News Digital. “Only to have these magistrates that are unaccountable, untrained – and in many cases – don’t require law degrees, and they put them back out on the streets, and the American public is paying the price.”
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